Electrospun polymeric fibers for cartilage regeneration

The aim of tissue engineering is to allow the regeneration of natural tissues and to create biological substitutes for injured organs. The formation of new cartilage tissue is one of the most significant problems that tissue engineering encounts. Bioactive microporous scaffolds covered with nano- or subimcrofibers seem to be a promising solution for these problems. One of the best methods to prepare such fibers is electrospinning. Electrospinning is a fiber formation technique that uses electrostatic forces to create continuous fibers.

The aim of this study was to investigate the influence of electrospinning process parameters on fibers diameter and to obtain electrospun PDLA fibers suitable for cartilage scaffolds. Parameters of electrospinning process like applied voltage, polymer concentration, solution conductivity, needle diameter and working distance (distance between needle and collector) were studied to fabricate fine fibers. The choosing of optimum parameters (voltage U=10kV, needle inner diameter Ø = 0.41mm, working distance 180mm and conductivity K=0.035 uS/cm) allowed for obtaining fibers with diameter from tens nanometers to submicrons. This kind of fibers combined with microporous scaffolds should support formation of new cartilage tissue.